1

When the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) was

signed into law in 2014 it contained a vision for the public workforce

system. In part, the vision was for state and local workforce boards to

organize a One-Stop Center network and partner programs to provide

high quality services to individuals and employers. It envisioned One-

Stop Center Operators and partners increasing coordination of pro-

grams and resources to support a comprehensive system to seamlessly

provide integrated services accessible to jobseekers, workers, and busi-

nesses. The WIOA goes operational in July 2015 and the Prince William

SkillSource Center, with all its partners and integrated services, is right

in line with the vision of WIOA. In fact, the Center is probably years

ahead in fulfilling the vision and continues to continuously improve. Any

one looking for a model One-Stop need look no further than the Prince

William SkillSource Center. VEC Manager Gilbert Sanchez

On Target and Ahead of Our Time

C O N T A C T

I N F O R M A T I O N

Main Office:

PWCS Adult Education

Coordinator

Donna Motsek

703-791-7357

adulted@pwcs.edu

Lead ESOL:

Debra Cargill

703-791-8387

Lead ABE/GED/NEDP:

Sue Garlock

703-791-7358

EL/Civics Liaison at the

PW SkillSource Center:

Tanya Conover

703-586-6541

Program Line:

703-791-2319

T H E P W C S A D U L T

E D U C A T I O N P R O G R A M

A T T H E

P R I N C E W I L L I A M

S K I L L S O U R C E C E N T E R

Adult Education Staff Supports

PW SkillSource Partner Initiatives 6 / 2 0 1 5 B Y T A N Y A C O N O V E R , P W C S A E L I A I S O N

English for Speakers

of Other Languages

(ESOL)

GED Test Prepara-

tion and Career Read-

iness

Adult Basic Education

(ABE) and Pre-GED

Preparation for the

USCIS Naturalization

Interview (Citizenship

Classes)

LEP Job Readiness

Workshops

(below) PW SkillSource Man-

ager Kristi Sargent welcomed

the Fairfax SkillSource Cen-

ter Team as they visited our

location to set benchmarks

of innovation and gather

inspiring ideas. We all share

the goal to form visions and

design plans that will make

our Centers highly effective

to meet the demands of our

VA workforce systems. We

seek solutions to client needs

as a strong and diverse team!

Strong leadership and program collaborations at the

Prince William SkillSource Center are making all the

difference in our progress. We are setting and ful-

filling Center goals as our leadership teams consist-

ently partner to empower all staff. We work

“seamlessly” to assist our clients in meeting their

goals. Business giant Sam Walton‟s wisdom plays

out daily here. “Outstanding leaders go out of their

way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If

people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they

can accomplish.” We are achieving together! (top left

to right) Donna Motsek, PWCS Adult Education Pro-

gram Coordinator; Gilbert Sanchez, VEC PW Man-

ager; Dr. Renée Lacey, PWCS Director of Non -

Traditional Education Opportunities; (bottom left to

right) Kristi Sargent, PW SkillSource Center Manag-

er; Fred Livengood, VEC Assistant Manager

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Kristi, Thank you for co-

ordinating these efforts

with Tanya and for allow-

ing us to use the Center

for our classes and activi-

ties. When I think of all

the clients and students

who are benefiting from

our "symbiotic partner-

ship,” I am truly amazed.

Our partnerships epito-

mize how sharing re-

sources improves not on-

ly access to services, but

contributes to the overall

quality of the services we

are providing to our resi-

dents. The impact of our

collaboration improves

quality of life and the

health of our community!

PWCS Adult Education

Program Coordinator

Donna Motsek

“Seamless” Partnerships Prince William SkillSource Center Manager

Kristi Sargent (top left on right) runs what many call

the “Cadillac” of Virginia One -Stop Career Centers.

Prince William is one of five Virginia Community

College System‟s fully certified One -Stop Centers in

Virginia, the fourth busiest throughout the Com-

monwealth. One of the dynamic elements creating

that identity arises out of the “seamless partner-

ships” developed by program participants, including

PWCS Adult Education. Kirist explains, “It is a chal-

lenge for PWCS Adult Education to help our clients

become career ready by teaching not only basic

skills, but also by helping them to achieve employ-

ment goals to do more than just put food on the

table, but also to find careers. GED, ESOL, Citizen-

ship, and Work Readiness Class accomplishments

propel people toward career achievement. The

seamless collaborations that Adult Education

achieves in concert with other agencies co-located

here carried out with a „can do attitude‟ are what

make us a world class Career One-Stop Center.”

PWCS Community Liaison Tanya Conover (top left)

operating on site at the Center as an active program

representative meeting partner and client needs

shares, “It‟s not just about being a nice person to

clients; it‟s finding out what they need and helping

them connect to resources so they can move for-

ward in their lives and careers. We do this togeth-

er. We call ourselves a seamless symbiotic team.”

It is difficult to tell who works for which program at the PW SkillSource Cen-

ter because the partnerships have become “seamless.” (Above right are VEC

staff members Pepper Burgess, Silvia Prado, Gil Sanchez, working hard to sup-

port partners and clients. Above are PWCS Adult Education Program, VEC,

and Skillsource staff standing side by side literally as well a figuratively, Tanya

Conover, Donna Motsek, David Browne, Debby Cargill, Renée Lacey, Gil

Sanchez, Kristi Sargent, and Fred Livengood. Left, Manassas SkillSource Man-

ager Karla Quiroz and PWCS Liaison Tanya Conover collaborate seamlessly!

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Seeking the American Dream: Citizenship

According to CNN Reports for 2014, immigrants to the USA were

twice as likely to start a new business as native born citizens.

Our SkillSource clients from other lands are no exception as

many are reaching out to our Center for help in pursuing this

American dream, to own a successful business. Pictured are two

clients, now U.S. citizens originally from Central America. One

dreams of opening a small engine repair company while the

other would love to open her own cleaning business. These

clients supply the dream, and the SkillSource program Employ-

ing Northern Virginia Through Entrepreneurship helps!

Census, 21.4% of our Prince William County population are for-

eign born. As a SkillSource Partner, the PWCS Adult Education

Program is meeting the need of our community to help immi-

grants become naturalized citizens through classroom training,

one-on-one counseling and interview practice, plus on-site guid-

ance to USCIS resources. By helping individuals and whole fami-

lies become citizens, we are promoting the well-being of our

community. Instructors Leisha Shaver and David Browne teach

AM and PM classes on Mondays. PWCS Liaison Tanya Conover

supports classes and helps clients individually. Through our ef-

forts, many PW immigrants are achieving their dream of becom-

ing new US Citizens and making us all a stronger community.

According to the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), “naturalized

citizens earn more than their noncitizen counterparts, are less

likely to be unemployed, and are better represented in highly

skilled jobs.” Even though many people could become citi-

zens, they do not understand the process. MPI reports,

“approximately 8 million noncitizens are currently eligible to

apply for citizenship but have not done so. Yet, researchers

found that nations who emphasize immigrant integration have

higher levels of economic competitiveness, are more innova-

tive, and have higher rates of entrepreneurship.” (Retrieved

from: http://immigrationimpact.com/2012/09/11/the-economic

-advantages-of-u-s-citizenship/) According to the 2010 U.S.

New Citizens Starting New Businesses

Caption describing picture or

graphic.

"The American ideal is not that we all agree with each

other, or even like each other, every minute of the day.

It is rather that we will respect each other's rights,

especially the right to be different, and that, at the end

of the day, we will understand that we are one people,

one country, and one community, and that our well-

being is inextricably bound up with the well-being of

each and every one of our fellow citizens."

-- C. Everett Koop

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The PWCS Adult Education Program provides required

core services necessary for our PW SkillSource Center to

meet the requirements of a Certified Virginia Career One-

Stop Center. The demographics of our community inform

us of the importance of our ESOL and GED classes.

30.2% of our PW population speak languages other than

English at home. 11% of adults over the age of 25 do not

have a high school diploma. Adult Education Partners are

proud to work as a team to support our clients at the

Center! PWCS ESOL Lead Debby Cargill (below right)

has a message to our students and community. “Adult Ed-

ucation students have enhanced and accelerated opportu-

nities to succeed in both school and work when they take

advantage of the many resources available at the PW Skill-

Source Center. When students walk through the door,

they should recognize that it is another day and another

chance to change one‟s life and realize one‟s dreams for

the future. Walk through that door and change your life!”

Core Services Support Client Success

(right to left and down) David Browne & LeAnn Redlinger‟s

ESOL, and Debbie Casellie‟s GED students worked hard

to meet their goals this semester with strong teacher

and partner support. The PWCS Adult Education team

is proud to support clients and partners at this Center!

(below left to right) Tanya Conover, Donna Motsek,

David Browne, Renée Lacey, Sue Garlock, Debby Cargill

are all important members of a strong Adult Ed. Team!

5

Partners and Community Connections They said it couldn‟t be done but we did it anyway. They said there was no way

we could carry out an event that would combine customer relations, operations,

resource management, and professional development all in one. Every quarter the

VEC staff in the Prince William Local Office, in concert with its One-Stop partners,

hold an after business hours event that achieves just that. In fact, there have been

eight such collaborative event at our Center going back two years.

We call our events “Community Connections.” Because of attention to continu-

ous quality improvement, each quarterly event has been bigger and better than the

previous one. It‟s a “partnership with a purpose”. While everyone pitches in to

ensure success, our One-Stop Business Services Team – shown on the left - does

the heavy lifting. The team is comprised of VEC, SkillSource, DARS, and PWCS

Adult Education Partners.

Community Connections is all about bringing people from the local area to one

place where they can network in an informal and friendly setting. Participants are

not just employers and job seekers; they include elected officials and their aides,

local education leaders, government agency managers, and local citizens interested

in what the One-Stop Center Partners have to offer. Although this is not a job fair,

job seekers are often hired on the spot

The Community Connections partnership initiative fulfills many purposes. Custom-

er Relations – Job seekers and employers focus on jobs as the events provide an

excellent venue for outreach to employers and other sectors of the community.

Operations – Partners collaborate on refinement of policies relating to the One-

Stop operation and sharing of goals such as working toward the primary objective

of putting people to work. Resource Management – Goals focus on customer ser-

vice and bringing out the best in our staff and strengthening our symbiotic relation-

ships with partners. Professional Development – Center staff grow professionally

by networking with agency partners, employers, and members of the community.

The events foster innovation and innovation is making our office culture ever more

resilient and cohesive.. Our next Community Connections will be 8/15/2015.

VEC Center Manager Gil Sanchez

(left to right) Many job seekers

attend the events with resumes

ready to place in folders, then

begin networking with employ-

ers. Business Services Team

members Becky Sprick with

DARS and Tanya Conover with

PWCS work together to support

clients. Special speakers like

State Trooper Laura Korson

inspire the community!

Center and community partners come togeth-

er to assure the success of Community Con-

nections events (above left to right, top to bottom)

Gil Sanchez and Fred Livengood w/ VEC; Skill-

Source staff supporters Kristi Sargent with

Xavier Ramirez, Becky Sprick of DARS; PWCS

staff Donna Motsek and David Browne; Skill-

Source staff, Kristi Sargent; State Trooper

Laura Korson; PWCS staff Tanya Conover and

Debby Cargill. Together we are better!

6

It started off as a little seed - a springtime initiative consisting of the addi-

tion of a few basic workshops for immigrants with Limited English Profi-

ciency, otherwise known as LEP clients. Bit by bit the little seed grew

until it became a full-fledged Prince William SkillSource Center partner

collaboration. The initiative is now serving dozens of individuals. Thanks

to the collective efforts of the Prince William County Public Schools Adult

Education Program (PWCS), the Virginia Employment Commission, and

the SkillSource Group, the little seed has bloomed into a beautiful flower

producing the fragrance of opportunity, the essence of the American

dream.

In Prince William County there is a fast-growing immigrant inflow creating

an increasingly diverse population. A survey conducted by the U.S. Cen-

sus found that in 2012, over 21%, or roughly 85,000 people, in the County

were foreign born. That compares to 15 % in Virginia overall. Among the

minority groups in the County, Hispanics make up the largest percentage

at 20% of the total population. The Virginia total is only 9%. The majority

of the local immigrant population is proficient in English. Yet, there re-

mains a significant number who need help as 30% of county residents do

not speak English at home.

Our PWCS partners in the PW SkillSource Center recognized this im-

portant client need and added LEP workshops to their other offerings of

GED and ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes, all de-

livered on site in the Center. At first, the workshops concentrated on

Basic English skills necessary for success in the world of work. Later, as a

result of service improvement discussions with VEC management, the idea

of focusing the LEP workshops on job readiness was thought to be a good

way not only to enhance clients‟ English skills but also to effectively pave

the way to reaching employment goals. (continued on page 7)

Partnerships Empower LEP Clients

(top left to right) VEC Staff Louie Perkins and Rae Harrell

with PWCS Adult Education Program Instructor

David Browne work seamlessly together to share re-

sources while and supporting clients who need extra help

finding and getting the jobs for a better future.

7

Pictured are LEP clients holding their Work Readiness Certifi-

cates with Virginia Employment Commission, SkillSource Group,

and Prince William County Public Schools Adult Education Pro-

gram logos included, and signed by Kristi Sargent, PW Skill-

Source Manager. Staff from all three programs stand in solidarity

with job seekers to demonstrate the seamless partnerships and

teamwork carried out at the PW SkillSource Center that sup-

ports our clients and our community. Bravo on the success!

Today, the collaboration grows stronger. VEC, the SkillSource Group, and PWCS Adult Education partners are forging an increas-

ingly symbiotic partnership where English language and cultural needs of job seekers are being addressed while each person simul-

taneously receives job readiness instruction. The alliance supports these clients in reaching their employment goals.

VEC staff joins PWCS Adult Ed staff in presenting workshops that teach LEP job seekers more English skills, Each participant who

has met certain criteria receives a PW SkillSource Job Readiness Certificate which is awarded at a semi-formal ceremony and re-

ception at the Center. To earn their certificate, participants must complete twenty-one hours of Job Readiness Workshops that

can include: Resume Writing , Filling Out On-Line Applications, Using the Virginia Workforce Connection, Interviewing Skills, Cul-

tural Expectations of U.S. Employers, Networking Strategies for Employment, Setting Goals, Hard Skills and Soft Skills Needed for

On the Job Success. With this training and practice, LEP clients at the Center feel empowered and are assimilating into the Prince

William County workforce. As one client put it, “These workshops gave me confidence. Now, I know I can get a job.”

VEC Center Manager Gil Sanchez

PWCS Instructor David Browne with VEC Staff Rae Harrell and Louie Perkins help clients gain knowledge and confidence needed

to meet their employment goals. Pictured above is a diverse group of job seekers learning the in‟s and out‟s of interviewin g, one

of the most challenging and intimidating obstacles standing in the way of job seekers with limited English proficiency.

8

Annual Adult Ed Breakfast Presentation

Each May at the PW SkillSource Center is a

month for celebration. As the academic school

year comes to a close, the PWCS Adult Educa-

tion Program Team celebrates collaborations

with a breakfast thank you presentation. Each

team member praises partners for the strong

alliances that help our clients achieve success; for

example (right, top to bottom) Dr. Renée Lacey,

PWCS Director of Non-Traditional Education

Opportunities; PWCS Liaison Tanya Conover,

and Instructor David Browne. As the new

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act

(WIOA) becomes effective July 1, 2015. Many of

the “new” innovations and opportunities included

in this legislation have been ongoing at the PW

SkillSource Center for over five years through

partnerships that allow our clients to walk in and,

as one client put it, “find something good.” The

PWCS Adult Education Program offers ESOL

classes and LEP Job Readiness Workshops geared

to clients with barriers to employment, e.g. Eng-

lish language learners, individuals with low levels

of literacy, and individuals facing substantial cul-

tural barriers. Adult Basic Education and GED

classes along with counseling on how to register

with our NEDP Program also provide career

pathways that enable clients to seek a secondary

school diploma or its recognized GED equivalent.

We also provide Citizenship Preparation Classes

and individual counseling to assist clients. We

are proud of our Center partner collaborations!

Praise for a place to find something good

(left to right) PWCS AE Liaison Tanya Conover;

VEC Manager Gilbert Sanchez; PW SkillSource

Center Manager Kristi Sargent

(left to right) PW SkillSource Resource Specialist

Xavier Ramirez; VEC Workforce Services Rep

Rae Harrell; PWCS AE Liaison Tanya Conover;

VEC Workforce Services Rep Maria Wells

(left to right) PWCS Director of Non-Traditional

Education Opportunities Dr. Renée Lacey;

Neighbors Keeper Rep Rich Nagel; Adult Educa-

tion Program Coordinator Donna Motsek.

(left to right) VEC Ted Spencer and PWCS Sue Garlock staff & partners provide an image of how we stand together to get the job done!